This is a Summary of Submissions received by the Human Rights Commission during the course of its Inquiry into the human rights of transgender people. In 2004, the Human Rights Commission consulted with more than 5,000 people to produce a stocktake report Human Rights in New Zealand Today – Ngā Tika Tangata o te Motu.
During the consultations, transgender people told the Commission their most important human rights were the right to security and freedom of expression, followed by the rights to work, health and education. The Commission realised the need for more information. The Commission’s New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights - Mana ki te Tangata, published in 2005, recommended an inquiry into discrimination experienced by transgender people.
This Inquiry focuses on three areas: experience of discrimination, access to health services and barriers faced by transgender people trying to gain full legal recognition of their gender status.